The present invention relates to racks that provide support above a bed of a pick-up truck, and more particularly, to racks which can be readily placed or removed from a position above the bed of the pick-up truck.
A typical pick-up truck may be used to carry various types of materials. Some materials may fit entirely within a bed of the truck while other materials, e.g., lumber or ladders, may have lengths greater than the inside dimensions of the bed. When a truck is used to routinely carry such long-length loads, the truck may be modified by installation of a permanent over-the-bed rack.
While installation of a permanent over-the-bed rack may provide load carrying advantages for long-length loads, such a rack may diminish overall load carrying flexibility of the truck. For example, a permanently installed rack may preclude use of the truck to carry tall items such as a refrigerator or piece of furniture because such items may not fit under the permanently installed rack.
In some prior art instances, temporary rack systems have been designed to provide long-load carrying capability. Such temporary rack systems often require assembly or repositioning of various components prior to each use of the rack system. The components may need to be stored either on a truck or is some remote location when they are not in use. Deployment of such prior-art rack systems may be difficult if the components are stored on an exterior of the truck and subject to weather-induced deterioration.
As can be seen, there is a need for a system that may provide a pick-up truck with carrying capability for long-length material. More particularly, there is a need for such a system that will not diminish flexibility of cargo carrying capability of the pick-up truck. Still further, there is a need for such a system which may not be adversely effected by weather-induced deterioration and may be easily deployed when needed.